Total Case of the Mondays

Okay, I know that one of my 2014 goals was to blog more - and I'm already failing miserably. But here's the deal - I don't have that much exciting going on.  I feel lame just being like 'here's what I did in my workout today' or 'here's what I ate today'.  And unfortunately, there is no dating going on in my life.  Zilch.  

So... I don't have that much to say lately.  But here are few highlights of the last two weeks: 

• I'm taking an Olympic Lifting class and it's kicking my ass.  However, I'd like to think that my snatch is getting a million times better.  Oh yes... I said it. 
• While CrossFit will prepare you to 'not suck at life' - it will not prepare you to be an awesome ice skater.  As was proven by my weekend girls trip a couple of weeks ago.  Yowza.  I'm awful.
• The Seahawks have done it again - cemented one of the reasons why I love living in Seattle.   I LOVE the team spirit in Seattle.  For those of you who live in Seattle (or have spent even a miniscule amount of time here), you know that Seattle is like a tiny town stuck in a big city body.  And the small town is super annoying when you can't go anywhere without running into the top ten people you never want to see but it's AWESOME on game days.  Everyone wears blue, everyone has on a Seahawks logo and the city practically comes to a stop when the game is on.  I love it.  It's hard not to be a Seahawks fan in this city.  Soooo... GO HAWKS!!!!!
• The inventors of Cards Against Humanity deserve a medal of awesomeness. 
• I finally got 10 double unders in a row - it may have been a freak accident.  We shall see.  
• I never thought I'd say this but I'm ready for a new job.  I'm bored with being retired.  One can only look for jobs for so many hours a day.  It's exhausting.  And boring.  Did I mention it's boring???

That's about it for exciting highlights in the last two weeks.  Aren't you glad you're caught up? 


Also... I finally joined the modern blogging world and signed up for Blog Lovin'.  You can make it super easy to follow me here... <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/8919485/?claim=2akyayzf7cm">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

And on to 2014!

Do you ever have one of those moments where you look around and think 'Holy Crap!!! It's 2014?!?! When did that happen?!?!?!'.  Ummmm... No?  Hmmm... 

Well.  I did.  Yesterday and today I've been pretty darn shocked that it's 2014 already.  And I'm pretty excited about it.  2014 is going to be my year.  It's totally in the bag.  I saw this yesterday and yes... just yes... 

It's going to be a good year.  I refuse to settle for anything less.  

So... what's up on the priority list for 2014?  I don't really do resolutions - that just seems to set me up for failure.  But I do have priorities for this year... most are private (as they should be!) but here are a few that I'm willing to share: 

• Call my grandpa more often.  There will come a time when he won't be around to talk to - I want to make sure I take advantage of him while he's just a phone call away.
• Be more organized and keep my house clean.  It's so easy for me to get cluttery (is that a word?!) - time to be a real adult... with an organization system. 
• Spend more time in the kitchen.  In 2013, this came in waves - but since I've moved into my house - I really haven't cooked a whole lot.  I'm doing this in 2014!
• Blog more.  You are welcome. 

Okay... enough about my 2014 goals.  I wish that I had something awesome else to say... but I don't.  It's been a slow couple of weeks. I did do the Polar Bear Plunge yesterday - that was awesome.  Even though I'll be the first to admit that I chickened out and didn't put my head under.  I learned two important lessons of polar bear plunges: 1) Wear shoes, and 2) Don't stop moving when you hit the water.  Next year, I'm going all in. 

Merry Christmas Y'All!

Merry Christmas y'all! Tis the season - the presents have been unwrapped, the annual Molle Mexican food fiesta is in the oven, 'A Christmas Story' has been watched at least twice, and I'm drinking my 2pm glass of wine (don't judge me - it's a holiday). 

This time of year can be incredibly stressful for some people - myself included (hence the 2pm glass of wine).  I think it's very easy for people to review the last year and start to panic about all the things left undone, messed up, or not yet started.  It's even easier when you start to add massive amounts of family time into that and all the inevitable questions that come from great aunt Shirley, like - why aren't you married?  how is your job?  why can't you deadlift 300 pounds yet? yada, yada, yada.  (For the record, I don't have a great Aunt Shirley - but I do picture the voice in my head sometimes.  And if I did have a great Aunt Shirley - she'd probably not ask me about my deadlift.)

So... instead of thinking of the unfinished, questionable, and bad things from 2013 - I've decided to take a minute to review what went well.  So... here are some of the highlights of 2013:

• Started the year with friends in Tahoe. Fabulous trip.  Got back to Seattle just in time to do my first CrossFit competition.  Didn't do well but had an awesome time.  Also, didn't die.  Victory!
• Became a CrossFit coach.  Scary but fabulous.  So glad I did it.  
• Ran Tough Mudder Whistler.  Okay... by ran, I really mean ran/walked/complained for 13 miles.  But didn't die. Victory!  (And now that I've forgotten how badly it hurt, I would totally do it again.) 
• Bought a house and rescued a dog.  Pretty much turned my life upside down.
• Competed in my first solo CrossFit competition (Bacon Beatdown).  Didn't do bad.  Didn't do well.  But didn't die.  Came in right in the middle.  Victory!
• Competed in my third CrossFit competition with a team of friends - did well!  Didn't win. Didn't even feel close to dying.  Victory!
• Left my job.  Am taking early retirement.  (Just kidding.  I'm totally looking for another job.)

So... instead of being stressed about all your 2013 to-dos that have been left undone - how about you take a minute to make your own highlight list?  Look forward to 2014 and a chance to get it all done.  That's what I'm doing anyways. 

What Are You Thankful For?

Happy Thanksgiving y'all!  Today's the day when we gather with our family and friends to salivate in the kitchen for hours and then eat ourselves into a tryptophan-induced coma while watching too much football and drinking too many cocktails. (What? That's not the norm for you?)

Check it.  I made a turkey.  It's a mini turkey.  But a turkey nonetheless.

While you are spending your time overindulging, I hope that you are also able to take a second to be thankful (after all - that is the reason for the day.  Contrary to popular belief, it's not just the day before Black Friday.). Today, we will eat more food than some people get to see in a month and we are safe and warm in our homes surrounded by loved ones.  There are a lot of things that aren't perfect - but today, instead of complaining, try to embrace the things that are pretty darn good. 

Today, I'm thankful for a lot.  My parents are here to share the holiday with me and help me with things around the house which is much appreciated.  They brought their adorable puppy who makes everything just a little bit better (I mean, really, EVERYTHING is better with a puppy).  The Cowboys are losing (scratch that, the Cowboys won. Damnit.).  I've managed to not burn down my house while cooking Thanksgiving dinner (although it was touch and go for a bit). I have the best friends in the world (you know who you are!) - you keep me sane, you deal with my neurosis and you are just generally the best.  I'm pretty much just thankful to have the life that I have.  No, it's not always perfect (it's actually usually a hot mess) but it is what it is and I'm making the best of it!

So... what are you thankful for? 

A CrossFit Girl's Guide to Surviving the Holidays

Tis the season. For crazy food consumption, lots and lots of drinking, sequins and sparkles, and mistletoe (oh please, let there be mistletoe!). From tomorrow (Thanksgiving) until the second weekend in January, I will eat approximately my body weight in food (and not healthy food) and drink at least that many holiday themed beverages - come'on, red wine is totally holiday themed.  Red?  Duh. 

How is a girl to manage all the food and crazy holiday party business without putting on 10lbs of sugar/bready/non-paleo diet weight?  Good freaking question.  For the next two months, here are my general life goals:

• Make time to workout at least three times a week. 
• Pass on the bread bowl.  I'm definitely not going to skip on all of the next two months of sweets/breads/holiday goodness - that's torture.  But... I can pass on the breadbowl.  
• Social drinking only!  There are enough social events for the next two months that I'm literally running around several days a week.  (Just for clarification sake - 'social' only has to entail one other person. I don't want to set the standard too high.)

In other words - try not to do what I do every other year - gorge on sweets, drink too much, and abstain from athletic activity. (I say this as I am making candied yams.  Pretty much my favorite dish ever with only three ingredients - yams, brown sugar and butter.  Delicious.  And awful for me.  AND... I didn't go to the gym today. Winning!) 

I'm also hosting Thanksgiving this year.  First Thanksgiving in my new house.  My folks are here from MT and they brought their adorable, 8-week old puppy.  She's really so ridiculously cute and is having a blast jumping all over my dogs head.  If anyone wants to join the chaos - we'll have plenty of food (and I've got enough booze to survive the zombie apocalypse) and I can bribe you with an adorable puppy to play with. 

See?  Who can say no to this face?!

Moving Forward

I wasn't sure how much about this I wanted to say - but yesterday was a weird day.  One of the weirdest that I've ever had.  It wasn't bad.  It wasn't good.  It was just weird.  Yesterday, I walked out the door of the company that I've been at for six years - and I'm not going back.  

No. I don't have a new job.  No. I don't know what I'm doing next. I am simultaneously excited and terrified. I haven't been happy where I'm at and have needed to look for a new job for a long time.  It's time.  Taking those steps out the door yesterday was the most relieving and the most terrifying thing that I have done in almost two years.  (And to clarify, even though it would have been totally badass - I didn't just walk out - I've spent the last week wrapping things up and leaving notes for everyone still there.  Like a responsible and professional adult.)

What now?  I don't know exactly.  It's the holidays so it will be nice to have a little bit of time off.  Financially, I'll be just fine for a while (as long as I stay far, far away from Lululemon and Nordies).  I'm excited to be able to take the time to look for something that I'll love.  I know that these things don't happen overnight, but I've got some really great people guiding me where they can and I have no doubt with a little time that I'll find something great.  (Do I sound confident?  Because I'm really trying.)

So.  Wish me luck.  Life is too short to be at a job that is sucking the life out of you. 

 Inspirational quote for the day:

In other news.  I have been cleared by my chiropractor and PT to compete in the Toys for Tots Throwdown next weekend.  Yay!  My back is doing much better and as long as I hold on to the pull up bar - I should be fine.  I probably won't PR my deadlift - but we'll see.  And my folks will be there to to see their first CrossFit competition - I'll probably have to keep my swearing to a minimum - although burpees usually make me sprew the F-word.  

Til next time, y'all. 

Pride Goeth...

Okay... we all know the proverb "pride goeth before a fall".  Well.  I am here to be the walking, limping example of that.  

Last week, I fell and fell HARD off of a pull-up bar doing kipping pull-ups during a warm-up.  The warm-up people, the WARM-UP.  I can't even claim that I was in the throes of a hard workout - nope.  I was just making sure that I had my kip down.  Turns out - I didn't.  

Pride wasn't really my whole issue - although it was definitely a part of it.  My biggest problem was lack of focus. I figured that I knew what I was doing enough to not need to give it my full focus.  As I was staring up at the ceiling from the flat of my back - I realized that I should have been giving 100%.  Instead of thinking about what I was doing - I was three steps ahead instead of being in the here and now.  

I am currently paying for my lack of focus.  I slipped off the pull-up bar on while kipping and landed right on my back.  According to my chiropractor and PT, I've got a deep bruise, some sprained ligaments and jarred my hip pretty darn hard.  Sitting, laying down, standing - it's all some level of uncomfortable.  But... it is getting better.  I'm optimistic that in a few days, it will be fine (keep your fingers crossed for me anyways because this walking like an old person is just not cutting it!).  

An additional downside of maiming myself?  I missed the Mustache Dache.  I went and cheered the team on but I was obviously not running it (my chiropractor actually told me that I wasn't even allowed to think about it).  But here's a picture of the amazing team from Sound CrossFit:

Great job Team Snatch 'n Dache!!!! Next year, I am totally running this with you guys!